Growing Up and Growing It Out
by pduster713
Summary: In the months following receiving her mastery tattoos, Jinora grows her hair out, and she realizes how much she's grown up with the help of some friends. Post Book 3. Some Kainora, but mostly focuses on friendships and family.
1. Ikki and Melo

"Are you nervous? Do you think it will hurt? I asked Dad if his hurt, but he wouldn't say. I think he doesn't want to scare you." Ikki rattled off in her usual excited way.

"Pain is for the weak." Meelo stood up on his chair and puffed out his chest. Jinora sighed. She had been elated when her dad agreed to grant her airbending tattoos and make her a master, but putting up with her siblings constant teasing and nagging was making her wish she was waiting until they were more mature. If they ever would be.

Ikki continued undeterred, "Are you worried about shaving your head? Do you think you'll look weird bald? I bet you will. What do you think Kai will think?"

"Ikki" Jinora felt the heat spreading to her face and was sure she must be blushing like crazy. She quickly looked down and tried not to my eye contact with her parents. Truthfully, she was worried what her friend and crush would think of her when she had her tattoos, but it wasn't something she wanted to discuss at the dinner table.

Thankfully, Ikki changed subjects quickly, "Hey Dad! When can I get my tattoos? Can I get them when I'm eleven like Jinora? Can I get them now? Mom says you're not supposed to play favorites."

"We'll see Ikki. Let's try not to step on Jinora's big moment." Tenzin replied patiently.

Jinora ran her fingers through her hair. Would she be sad to see it go? She was excited about getting her tattoos, but the lack of hair was going to take some getting used to.

**Author's Note: **

**This story is going to be a seven short stories taking place in the months after Jinora gets her tattoos/after book 3. I first came up with the idea as a Kainora fic, but I wanted to explore Jinora's relationships with different friends and family members. I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Legend of Korra. **


	2. Tenzin

"I'm sorry we have to cut your pretty hair Jinora, but it will grow back faster than you think." Tenzin said as he began to cut her hair short so he could shave it.

"It's ok, Dad," Jinora said cheerfully as her locks fell to the floor. "It makes me feel like I'm connected to all the other airbending masters. They all had to shave their head, and now so do I, you know?"

"Oh I know. I remember when I got my tattoos all too well." He chuckled.

"What was it like?" Jinora strained to look up at her father as we finished messily cutting the last of her hair.

"Well, I was fifteen when my Dad said I was ready." Tenzin picked up the razor. "My brother and sister teased me a lot. I remember Bumi said I was so serious I had aged prematurely." He began to shave Jinora's head, taking great care not to hurt her. "I had to start shaving my head too. I would always nick myself, and they teased me for that."

"I'm sorry Dad. That sounds awful."

"Oh it wasn't so bad. That's just how siblings are. Ikki and Melo will tease you too, but it's just because they're jealous. I'm sure you'll be mature enough to put up with it." He smiled at his daughter.

"Do the tattoos hurt?" Jinora had been worrying about this, everything she had read told conflicting stories.

"Yes," he said hesitantly, "you meditate for the actual tattooing process, but you can still feel sore afterwards. I'm sorry." Tenzin hated the thought of seeing his daughter, his baby in pain, putting her through pain, but he knew that this was want she wanted and what she deserved. To receive ones airbending tattoos was a great honor, especially at such a young age, but Jinora had proven she was ready countless times. She guided the Avatar through the spirit world and helped her stop Vaatu during Harmonic Convergence. She learned spirit projection, helped teach the new airbenders, and led them in creating a tornado so stop Zaheer. She'd accomplished as much in twelve years as he had in his whole life. He couldn't deny her this.

"Was Grandpa Aang proud of you?" Jinora asked, breaking his train of thought.

Tenzin smiled down at his beautiful daughter, "He was. Just like I'm so proud of you."

**Author's Note: Daddy Tenzin feels! Grandpa Aang feels! I hope you're enjoying this story. I'm thinking this is how the process of getting tattoos works but I may be wrong. If you know, leave a review. Or leave a review anyway. Feedback is appreciated. **


	3. Korra

Jinora softly knocked and slowly opened the door to peer inside. She thought Korra might have been sleeping, but she was propped up in bed. A food tray sat on her lap but it looked uneaten.

"Hey Jinora" Korra said. Her voice was still weak, like the rest of her, but it sounded as if Korra was happy to see her.

"Hey Korra, how are you feeling today?" Jinora stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her gently.

"Alright I guess. Yesterday took a lot out of me." Yesterday was Jinora's presentation ceremony. It had been a big affair. All the world's leaders had come out to see the new airbending master.

"Thank you for coming" Jinora smiled and took a seat next to her bed. Ever since the fight with Zaheer, Korra hadn't been herself. Jinora knew she couldn't walk, she could barely move, and was in almost constant pain. But more than that, it seemed like her spirit had been broken. She wasn't as cheerful, or as determined. She barely even looked like herself. She can't imagine how difficult it must have been for Korra to make it to her ceremony, but she was very grateful she made it. Being with Korra always made her feel brave.

"I wouldn't have missed it for anything." Korra replied with a smile, but Jinora could tell she was putting on a front. Despite her smile, there was the ever present pain in her eyes. "You look so different, so grown up. Where's the little kid that I used to carry on my back?"

"I grew up I guess." Jinora hadn't ridden on Korra's back since she was a little kid, when they used to visit her in the South, although Korra could still lift her, or at least, she could've, before Zaheer.

"You sure did. You dad told me about how you lead the airbenders to make that tornado." The tornado that stopped Zaheer. The tornado that sent them both falling to the ground. Korra couldn't have stopped him without Jinorra. The feeling of uselessness returned to Korra, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Jinora was going to be a great master, she already was a great teacher, a great leader. She lead Airbenders around the world, fixing the world's problems, while she stayed in a wheelchair.

"I'm so proud of you." Korra said. She was proud of Jinora, the no-longer-a-little-girl was like a sister to her, which is why she couldn't say the other things she was feeling. Jealous. Guilty. Useless. Afraid.

Jinora beamed. It meant so much to her to hear Korra say that. "I couldn't have done any of it if not for you Korra."

"I hope you feel better soon," Jinora added. The words felt fake and stock. They couldn't convey the depth of what she felt. How she longed to see Korra smile again, genuinely. To hear her laugh again. Jinora needed her to be better. Korra was the strongest person she knew, not just physically, but the strength of her spirit. She could get through this. She had to. Jinora needed her.

**Author's Note: I'm realizing this is pretty short. Probably because post-book 3 Korra makes me sad. This chapter (and Chapter 5) were inspired/ influenced by Restitution by BobLoblawLawBlog. It's a great fic, and if you're looking for post book 3 feels you really should be looking there instead of here.**


	4. Kai

Jinora tried to pull the hood of her robe down further over her head.

When she first got her tattoos she was proud. She wasn't ashamed of her bald head; she was an airbending master. She _wanted _to show off her tattoos. But now that is had started to grow back, it was a different story. It was patchy and prickly and too short to do anything about it but cover it up. She hated being so superficial, but she couldn't help feeling down every time she looked in the mirror. She looked like a boy! So she wore her hood, and hoped no one would think anything of it.

"Hey Jinora!" a familiar voice called out to her. Oh no! She thought. She'd be happy if no body saw her during this awkward growing out period, but the person she least wanted to see was Kai. Ever since they met she had cared about what he thought, probably a little too much. Korra had said they had a "special connection." During their time at the Northern Airtemple, they'd spent lots of time together, and they'd grown close. He was always funny, and charming, and nice to her. Whenever she was with him, she couldn't help thinking about all the handsome, heroic love interests in her favorite books. But Jinora knew if he saw her like this he wouldn't be interested anymore, so she tried to quicken her pace and ignore him.

"Hey Jinora! Wait up! Where are you going?" Kai caught up to her.

"Oh, hey Kai." She looked down and avoided making eye contact, "I was just headed to the dining hall."

"Sweet! I'm starving. You don't mind if I come with you, right?" He asked.

"Uh, I guess that fine." Normally Jinora would be thrilled Kai wanted to spend time with her, but now she was just worried he would see her hair.

"Why are you wearing your hood? Don't you want to show of your new tats?" His tone was playful, but Jinora grew more upset.

"It's for shade, so I don't get sunburned." She lied.

Kai looked skeptical, "What are you talking about? It's super cloudy today." Kai was right. It was probably going to rain later.

"I have sensitive skin." Jinora walked faster trying to get away from this line of questioning.

"I've never seen you wear a hood before." Kai insisted, and quickened his pace, but Jinora ignored him. Frustrated he sent a blast of air that knocked her hood off.

"Kai!" Jinora shrieked and quickly recovered her head, but he'd already seen.

"Are you embarrassed, Jinora?" Kai watched her scramble to recover her head. Her whole face was red.

"Yes, Kai, I am." She snapped at him. "My hair started growing back and it looks awful. Of course I'm embarrassed. How many girls do you know that look like this?" She tried not to get emotional but she couldn't help feeling angry and betrayed. She could feel her eyes sting, but she refused to cry. "I had my hood on for a reason, but you just had to go and be a pest and knock it off."

Kai felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. He was just trying to be playful. "I'm sorry Jinora. I didn't mean to upset you."

Jinora looked up. His deep green eyes pleaded with her to accept his apology. "It's ok," she sighed. "I guess I overreacted."

"You don't need to be embarrassed. You should show off your tattoos." A blush spread to his cheeks before he added. "You still look really pretty."

Jinora's eyes lit up. "You really think so?"

He nodded. Jinora was one of the prettiest people he knew, and he always felt jittery around her. He had thought her hair was pretty too, of course, but he was in awe of her tattoos. They were a reminder of how smart she was, how powerful, which made his jittery feelings even worse.

Jinora slowly reached up and pulled her hood down to expose her head. Then feeling emboldened, she reached out a grabbed Kai's hand. "Come on, let's go get something to eat."

**Author's Note: Oh my babies. I love Kainora a lot. There are other similar stories out there about Kai reacting to Jinora's tattoos/baldness, I particularly like Beautiful by words-with-dragons, actually all her Kainora stuff is fab. Like I said in the first chapter when I first conceived this idea it was just going to be a Kainora fic. Her hair at different times, and Kai thinking she's beautiful always or something fluffy like that, but then I wanted to write something between Korra and Jinora, and then I wanted to write other characters, so that's how it spiraled into this. I hope you're enjoying it!**


	5. Mako

Jinora looked up from her book when she heard the door open. Not many people frequented the Air Temple Library, other than herself. In walked the tall firebender, who smiled when he saw her.

"Hey Jinora. I didn't know anyone was in here. I –uh- just came to return this book." He held up the history book he had borrowed from her back on the airship.

"It's great to see you Mako!" Jinora said. "Lin must be keeping you busy, we haven't seen you in weeks." Since Korra left for the South Pole, and they moved back into their apartment in the city, her family didn't see Mako or his brother much anymore. Bolin still stopped by sometime, but he spent most of his time with Opal.

"Yeah, well like you said I've been busy. Since I've been promoted to detective, I really want to prove myself, you know?"

"I'm sure you're doing a great job."

Mako coughed awkwardly. "I see your hair is growing back."

Jinora subconsciously went to her head. Her hair was still pretty short, kind of shaggy looking. No matter how much she brushed, it always wanted to stick out every which way.

"It looking good." He smiled at her. Jinora had always liked Mako. Kai said that at first he seemed harsh, but to Jinora he always seemed nice. He never talked down to her like a lot of teenager did.

"Thanks, maybe I should spike it like you do." she said jokingly. "Do you want to borrow another book? If you liked that one, there's another one by the same author about different Firelords. I think you'd like it." Jinora got up to go look for it on the shelves.

"That actually sounds pretty interesting. Just don't tell anyone I spend my free time reading history books. They'll think I'm a nerd."

Jinora handed the book to him with a smirk. "You're secrets safe with me. But I think anyone I'd tell already thinks that."

Mako let out a short laugh. He reached out and playfully noogied her short hair, like he'd done to Bolin countless times. "You're a good kid, Jinora. I'll see you later."

**Author's Note: And thus the Mako/Jinora (sometimes Opal) book club was born. I had to write a Mako/Jinora scene because I love him being big brother proud and protective of her. Two more chapters to go. I hope you're enjoying this. Leave reviews if you'd like. **


	6. Opal

"Just try one more time, Opal, you're getting it."

They were together in the training arena together. Opal was still having trouble moving through the spinning gates, and had asked Jinora for some extra practice.

"No I'm not!" Opal threw her hands up in frustration. "I've been trying Jinora, but it just doesn't come easily to me like it does to you," she snapped.

"You're not being fair to yourself. I've been studying airbending my whole life. You just acquired the skill a few months ago. You're not going to be perfect at first. Even Korra took months to master this exercise." Jinora wanted to encourage her friend. Opal was actually a very talented airbender. She'd seen her pick up certain movements faster than any of the other new recruits. And she'd proven just how powerful she could be in an emergency. But she had almost no confidence in herself.

"I know it takes time to learn. I just don't feel like I'm getting any better." Opal sighed and sat down.

"But you are getting better. I've been watching you. You almost made it that time." Opal looked down at her feet. Jinora ran her fingers through her hair and tried to push it out of her face. Time to break out the psychoanalyzing. "I feel like something else is bothering you."

Opal sighed, "I guess you're right. I just- I still don't feel like I can do it. Like having this power is still so unreal to me." Jinora nodded. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be powerless one day, and an airbender the next.

Opal continues, "You didn't get to meet my family, but I'm the youngest of five, and compared to my brothers I was never really special. My oldest brother Baatar is an amazing architect just like my dad, Huan is an artist and my mom adores that, and Wei and Wing are amazing metal bending prodigies. I mean my grandmother was Toph, THE Toph, and my mom was the founder of the city that we lived in and she's amazing. I love my family, I just lived under their shadow a lot. Until the Harmonic Convergence, the only thing that made me special was that I was the youngest. The baby." Jinora was surprised to hear Opal open up like this. Sure she knew some things about her family from her dad, but not what it felt like to grow up with them.

Jinora sighed "I can't say I completely understand what that's like, but I can relate. I get compared to my grandfather all the time. It's intimidating. I feel like I won't be able to live up to all those expectations." Jinora had never really shared this with anyone, but she always felt pressure when people talked about her grandfather, fear that he wouldn't be proud of her or wouldn't like her, confusion for having never met this person she was supposedly so close to.

"But you will, Jinora. You're amazing. I'm sure Avatar Aang would be proud to call you his granddaughter."

"And I'm sure Toph Beifong would be proud to call you her granddaughter. Your whole family is proud of you. I know you might not feel special, but you are Opal. Not just because of your family, or because of your airbending. You're what makes you special. You're smart and kind, you're thoughtful and patient-"

"Except when I get frustrated during practice and give up." Opal interjected.

"Hey, when Korra got frustrated during practice she nearly burnt the whole thing down. I'd say that you've been patient." The two girls laughed. It felt good to have someone to talk to, to laugh with. Opal was a few years older than Jinora, but they had a lot in common. They both came from important families. They were both Airbenders. At the moment, they even had the same hairstyle. They both liked to read, and neither minded if they just sat quietly and didn't talk. But at the same time they enjoyed talking with each other. Each girl felt relieved to be able to share something about themselves. "Let's take a break. Do you want to go get some snacks?"

"I'd love to," Opal replied. The girls stood up to walk to the dining hall. "And Jinora, thanks for listening to me."

"Anytime," Jinora smiled. "That's what friends are for."

**Author's Note: Yay for Bob Squad! Yay for friendship! I hope this Opal seemed in character. This is how I saw her in book 3, very sweet but insecure. LEt me know what you think.**


	7. Pema

Jinora let out a frustrated sigh. She gave up! She had thought her hair might finally be long enough to style it in a bun, the way she always wore it before, but apparently not.

Her mom's face appeared in the doorframe, "Are you ok sweetie?"

"Yeah. I was just trying to fix my hair, but I guess it's not long enough yet."

"Well let me help. It's harder to do it to yourself." Pema walked into the room and stood behind Jinora. She picked up a section of hair and began to style it. "You know, I used to do your hair for you all the time," she said with a smile.

"Why'd you stop?" Jinora asked. She's worn her hair this way for as long as she could remember, so there must have been a time when her mom did it for her.

"Don't you remember?" Pema gave a gentle laugh, "One day you decided that you could do your hair yourself, thank you very much. I think you were six. You really threw a fit. You wouldn't even let me touch your hair after that."

"I guess I was kind of stubborn as a kid." Jinora felt guilty.

"You could say that. Some might say you still are stubborn." Jinora looked down sheepishly. "But I'd day you're determined, and brave." Pema continued. "I remember that because it was the first time I realized how fast you were growing up and that one day you wouldn't need me anymore." Pema was proud of the daughter she raised, but it still made her sad to see how fast she'd grown.

She put the final pin in her hair, "There you go sweetie."

Jinora immediately stood up and hugged her mom tightly. She couldn't imagine what her mom had been through, seeing her children in danger so many times. She didn't want that, didn't want her mom to worry, to feel like she was losing her daughter, like she was no longer needed.

"I'll always need you. I love you, Mommy."

**Author's Note: And that's it! I thought I'd end on a sweet family note. I love Pema and I think she's such an underrated character. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these short, short stories. Constructive of complimentary feedback is very appreciated. **


End file.
